Author

Tyler Simpson | Lead Writer

Rifen Miguel, a native from Angola, a country in Southern Africa has only been stateside for over a year now, but has quickly drawn the attention of several top tier division one programs due to his size and innate ability to pass for a big man with his stature. Miguel takes great pride in his vision and passing ability as he labels it one of his strengths of his game.Miguel has been labeled as a space eater in the post who gets great positioning while there also. Miguel who currently plays for West Oaks Academy in Florida was recruited to come to America in 2014 when he was playing for the African National Team in the 16 and under championships. While he said the the play style between the two countries was different, the transition wasn’t that tough to overcome.

​Miguel will be attending our event in Orlando ready to go up against all the talented big men and other competition. Miguel will definitely be someone to watch during the event as he has his eyes set on destroying the competition and separating himself from everyone else. How he handles himself against Vernon Carey, Jr., Kentrevious Jones,and several other talented big men will be something to keep an eye on. Rifen and I touched on a variety of topics recently.

How’s your season been going this year?Very great. My season will be over in two weeks, we just have a couple of games left. Do you guys have a good shot at making the state tournament?Yes we do. Awesome. I believe I read somewhere that you’ve only been stateside for a year now, can you just give me a little brief insight on where you’re from and how you ended up in the United States?Yeah, of course. I am from Angola, I was recruited to play high school in America in 2014 when I was playing for my national team in the African under 16 championships. So you’ve been playing basketball for a while now? I know a lot of kids who come over to the United States from different countries usually have only been playing since they’ve come over.Yeah, I’ve been playing for a while. What was the transition like coming over from Africa? Is the style of play in America different than Africa?Yeah, it’s real different. For people who have never seen you play, how would you describe yourself as a player?I’m always aggressive in the paint and can score over anyone, I can also shoot 3’s. Think I read somewhere that you’re a pretty good passer as well, do you enjoy getting your teammates involved?Yeah, I like to play with vision.That’s awesome and always a great trait to have. A big man with an exceptional passing ability from the post and all-around is great for any team. You play high school ball down in Florida, you guys definitely face a ton of competition, who’s the hardest player you have guarded or had to play against this year?The hardest player I have had to guard this year was Bruno Fernando, he plays center for IMG. Fernando is a big guy. Really good. IMG is really good as well. How’d you do against him?Bruno is like my brother, he plays on my national team. I did pretty good against him. At least you held your own, have you been hearing from any colleges yet?Yeah.What schools?James Madison, Chattanooga, FGCU, with interest from Louisville, Memphis, and Samford. You graduate in 2019, right? So you have some time to pick up some more offers. Obviously the Louisville interest is big time, they’re a prestigious program. Have they talked to you at all, or mainly through your coaches?Yeah, they talk to my AAU coach. Is it just a timing thing before they offer?Yeah, it is. I hope you get that offer, that’s a highly regarded offer. You’re coming to our event in Orlando, are you excited about that?Yeah, of course. Lots of big names will be there, do you have any goals for the event?I’m coming to kill every big man in the camp. Love the tenacity and mentality that you’re going to bring. Do you play with that same mentality every game?I can show you better than I can tell you. I love that! Now you’ve got me excited to see what you bring in Orlando. What excites you the most about the event?Being able to match up against other top players. Awesome, who do you like to compare/model your game after?Boogie. (Demarcus Cousins)Boogie does have that killer mentality, not a bad one to model your game after. What’s one of your weaknesses that you’re really trying to improve before the AAU season?Improving my body. Trying to improve your conditioning?Yeah, conditioning as well. That’s a huge part to anything. Anything you’d like to tell our readers or attendees before our event in Orlando?I don’t want to talk too much, I just want to wait for the day and ball. I like it. Awesome, thanks for taking the time out of your day to talk to me! Can’t wait to watch you in Orlando!Gotcha, boss. Thanks!